Wi-Fi devices are typically utilized to wirelessly send and/or receive signals between the Wi-Fi devices. One of the important factors associated with using battery-powered Wi-Fi devices is to maintain sufficient battery power for adequate operation of the battery powered Wi-Fi devices.
Many conventional Wi-Fi devices are required to periodically send out an IP based health packet to a remote server through an existing Wi-Fi infrastructure that is made up of various Wi-Fi devices that form a wireless network. A typical health packet contains information about the existing battery level status for the Wi-Fi device(s).
The battery level status is ordinarily communicated to an end user via a remote server or a client side end device. The end user monitors the remote server or client side end device which receives the IP based health packets.
These IP based health packets provide the user with information about the battery status of battery powered Wi-Fi devices. When the indicated battery level is below a low battery threshold limit, a user may take appropriate action to change (or compensate) for a low battery situation in battery powered Wi-Fi devices.
There is a drawback associated with using periodic transmission of IP based health packets to monitor the battery level status for the battery powered Wi-Fi device(s). Specifically, the drawback is that sending IP based health packets through an existing network of Wi-Fi devices undesirably consumes stored charge in the batteries of the battery powered Wi-Fi devices. This overall power consumption that is associated with sending periodic IP based health packets thus shortens the overall operating battery life of battery powered Wi-Fi devices.
Conventional approaches for updating battery status through IP based packet transmission typically involve various stages that directly impact current consumption within the battery powered Wi-Fi Devices. FIG. 1 illustrates one conventional process for IP based packet transmission that is done solely for sending information about the battery level of a battery powered Wi-Fi Device.
In a typical Wi-Fi based infrastructure an IP based packet transmission involves a battery powered Wi-Fi station device to associate/authenticate to an external Wi-Fi Access Point; transmission of an IP based packet; reception of an IP based packet acknowledgement; and disassociate/de-authenticate with the external Wi-Fi Access Point. Each of these steps undesirably consumes battery power from the battery in battery powered Wi-Fi devices.